BARYSAW ADMINISTRATION BANS SELLING OF THE BORISOVSKIE NOVOSTI

.Local administration of the state-owned shops network has declared a ban on sales of The Borisovskie Novosti independent weekly in shop #20. It is already the fifth shop that “expelled" the city popular edition. Its editor-in-chief and founder Anatol Bukas told BelaPAN, the authorities continue the campaign of systematic reductions of circulation of the journal they cannot control.
First the distributors were required to get a license for retail trade on press. Then, when such licenses have appeared, shop directors began to unilaterally break off sale contracts. A.Bukas believes, that they simply follow the instruction of the vice-chairperson of the local administration Joseph Zubovich, who thinks, that state-owned shops are not a good place to promote independent press. Although, shops have no problems with sales of other goods, produced by private businesses, as well as other newspapers, certainly, loyal to authorities.
By Bukas's calculations in 2.5 months the local authorities managed to reduce the newspaper circulation by 1500 copies. The editorial board has suffered losses of 6 million roubles; dozens of distributors have lost their earnings, quite high for Barysaw, where many people are unemployed.